It has been
said that for those who believe in Jesus this life will be the
closest thing to Hell that we will ever experience. But, for those
who don’t believe, this life will be the closest thing to Heaven . .
.

Jesus died
rejected and alone on the Cross. The Bible, God’s Word, tells us
that it was not the nails which were driven through His hands and
feet that kept Jesus on the Cross, it was His love for you. He
willingly and lovingly took the penalty and punishment for all
of your sins. Each and every one of them, regardless how big or how
small. Your debt, paid in full, by Him. Through God’s
grace, you simply need to accept it and believe it.
It is free to everybody. It is available to everybody. But, God
has given each of us the free will to make our own choice. We must
choose to accept it. We must choose to believe it. It has
to be a conscious decision made by each of us at some point in our
life. If, through prayer, we simply and sincerely admit or confess
that we have sinned, ask for God’s forgiveness, and accept Jesus
Christ as our Lord and Savior and His death on the Cross as payment
for our sins, regardless of how bad our sins are or how often we
have sinned or how long it has been since we have asked for God’s
forgiveness (a simple, short prayer) and sincerely believe these
things, it is not only His Word and Promise that all of our sins
will be forgiven and completely forgotten, but God tells us that it
is the only way we can be forgiven and enter into His
Kingdom. He will forgive our failures and has compassion. He will
help us to change and be strong when we need to be strong and He
will be there and help us through all of life’s battles . . . if
we ask Him.

The Bible
tells us that every man and woman on Earth is already
condemned to Hell - “the second death.” We are told the execution
of this judgment will take place after this body dies. God
also tells us there is an escape for any and all who will
simply accept it . . .

God has gone
to extraordinary lengths and pain to make it simple for us to escape
the judgment of Hell. Jesus completed all of the work for
us. We cannot enter Heaven because of the good deeds we have done,
or think that we have done.

We cannot
enter Heaven because we were baptized as a baby, or were confirmed
into a church. There is no other person here on Earth, regardless
of their title, affiliation or position who can save us, and there
is no ritual or donation of money that can provide entrance into
Heaven, or provide an escape from the alternative.

The gospel
(good news) is that if we simply believe in our hearts that
Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), and that Christ died for all
of our sins, and that He was buried, and rose again the third day,
and ask Him to come into our life as Lord and Savior . . . then, our
life after death is certain. For if we acknowledge the King,
we shall enter His Kingdom. If we deny the King, we shall be denied
entrance into the Kingdom.

The Kingdom of
Heaven.

Life, an
eternal life, beyond anything we can ever imagine ...

It’s
God’s Promise and His Word.

The “all roads
and religions lead to heaven” or “I’ve been a good person, so I’ll
go to Heaven” philosophies are wrong and deadly. Three times Jesus
prayed in the garden just before His Crucifixion, “If it is possible
(if there is any other way), then let this cup (His
death on the Cross) pass from Me.” “No one comes to the Father
except through Me” (John 14:6). There is no other way
into the Kingdom other than through Jesus Christ and His righteous
blood on the Cross. If there was any other way, then He
didn’t have to die in agony on the Cross. He is the only
door into Heaven. There is no window. You see it has nothing
to do with how good we are (or think we are), or have been, but
only through our faith in Jesus Christ. We are saved through
His righteousness, not ours. This is God’s grace, His gift to
us. All we have to do is make a sincere decision to accept
it.

The Bible
tells us God loves each of us so much that He thinks about us
constantly, day and night. His thoughts of us outnumber the grains
of sand. A love so deep for us that He even allowed (and watched,
heartbroken) His Son, His only begotten Son, sent forth from Heaven,
willingly suffer and die for us (through an act of love,
strength, and courage that is beyond our ability to comprehend), so
that any who believe in Him will not die, but will enter into
His Kingdom, through His righteousness, and will share in His glory
and inheritance. But, He has given to each of us the free
will to make our own decision to accept or reject His offer. He
loves us and His wish is that all would accept His offer.
That is why He has made it so simple for us and why it is based on
His grace and not our “goodness,” lest any of us should brag, or get
a little “puffed up.” All we have to do is accept it and
believe it. If we sincerely ask Him into our lives, He will do
the rest.

This short
period of time which we have on Earth simply gives us the time to
choose our own destiny. Where we will spend our eternity is
our decision, not His. The moment our soul or spirit is
released when this body dies, we will be both conscious and aware of
the decision we made, or didn’t make. It is our own decision.
God tells us that belief comes through faith, not logic or
intellect, and that our acceptance of His gift to us, through
Christ, comes through faith (Heb 10-12). Jesus says that “you are
either with Me or against Me” . . . there is no in between.
He also says that if we call Him Lord, then we should obey Him,
follow His commandments, and stop doing those things that are
wrong. He will help us and He will forgive us whenever we fail . .
.

If we ask
Him.

To have some
doubts, or to not immediately understand everything is normal. As
the Apostle Paul tells us, “We can see or understand only a
little about God now, as if we were peering at His reflection in
a poor mirror, or looking through a glass, darkly. All that we know
now is hazy and blurred, but then (after this body dies) we
will see everything clearly.” (1 Cor 13:12, paraphrased)

If you
sincerely ask Jesus into your life, He will reveal Himself to you,
and will welcome you into His everlasting Kingdom. His Kingdom is
so beyond our ability to comprehend that Paul tells us that there
are no human words that can describe its peace and beauty.

Most of us
have a conception that eternity “is just lots of time.” This
concept is wrong. Eternity, in God’s Kingdom, is disconnected
from our physical property of time (a concept that Einstein and
quantum physics have helped us to understand, a little). It
will be incredibly beautiful, peaceful, exciting, restful, never
ending . . . never boring! It is interesting that science is
finally catching up to the incredible accuracy and precision of the
Bible, written over thousands of years, yet perfectly consistent.
The Bible is God’s proof of His existence and proof of His love for
each of us, including His gracious offer of citizenship in His
Kingdom, as sons and daughters, as co-heirs. All we have to do is
accept His offer, through His Son, Lord Jesus Christ.

He will be
there to welcome us . . . it’s God’s promise.

A Final Note . . .

There are
some of us (not all) who may be experiencing a difficult trial
simply because the Lord wants to get our attention. Many of us
might ignore Him for months or years, feeling "too busy" or content.
Some of us never thank Him for the good things He has placed in our
life. A few of us are living in casual or sinful disobedience, hoping
God will ignore it (which He won't). In some cases, we may be
"receiving" a little of what we have been "giving" over the years.
Sadly, God may often see us filled with selfishness and ingratitude.
Through His eyes we are still little children and as any caring
parent He would like His children to share their lives with Him.
He wants to know us.

Jesus
warns,

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,'

shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven
...

Many will say to Me in that
Day,

'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied (taught)
in Your Name,

cast out demons in Your Name, and done many wonders in Your name?'

And then (at the judgment), I
(Jesus Christ) will declare to them

'I never knew you ... depart from Me (departing from
Heaven, into Hell)

you who practice lawlessness"

(Lawlessness
is willfully doing or approving of things that are against God's Law)

(Matthew 7:21-23 NKJ)

The Lord
wants to spend time with us (through prayer), both when we
need His help and when things are in our lives seem to be
okay. As a loving Father He will discipline us for
disobedience and will train us (through His word) in those
ways which are good.

Our
Father in Heaven is the perfect God and Father. There is a purpose
behind every trial in the life of the believer, but we may never
know what it is until we get to Heaven. Regardless of the
circumstances behind the fiery trial you may be going through right
now, He cares for you very much. The sincere Christian
who faithfully and obediently endures the pain, the suffering, the
sorrow, and the grief found in this life will receive a far
greater reward of peace, contentment, and rest in His Kingdom of
Heaven.

Our time on Earth is short, but the Promise and the
rewards for our endurance, patience, faithfulness, love,
unselfishness, and
obedience will last forever!

"For God so loved the World

that He GAVE
His only begotten Son,

that whoever
BELIEVES (trusts) in Him

should NOT
perish (in Hell)

but have
everlasting life (in Heaven).

For God did not
send His Son into the world to condemn the world,

but that the world through Him might be saved (into Heaven).

He who believes in Him is not condemned (to Hell);

but he who does
NOT believe (in Jesus Christ ... Yeshua
Ha'Mashiach in Hebrew)